QUB Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS)

Queen's University Belfast is one of the leading universities in the UK and Ireland with a distinguished heritage and history.

Founded in 1845 as Queen's College Belfast, we became an independent university in 1908. Today, we are ranked in the top 180 universities in the world (QS World Rankings 2019), and a member of the Russell Group of UK research-intensive universities, combining excellence in research and education with a student-centred ethos.

The Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

The comfort and security of our modern world are provided by amazing advances in science and technology, focused on improving our lives.

The Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences spans disciplines that impact lives today and will shape our future. Our international mix of staff and students make up a vibrant community that is home to some of the most innovative and globally significant research and teaching. It works where industry and research meet, providing the platform to spin out research into commercial opportunities and engage with industry on cutting-edge research with real-world projects such as the work with Wrightbus to produce the cleanest hybrid bus technology that powers the London Routemaster, or the pioneering work in The Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology, securing our digital future through their Centre for Secure Information Technologies.

With strength in traditional engineering disciplines, the Faculty brings together diverse topics, such as carbon dating and astrophysics, to create a dynamic multidisciplinary setting for students and academics to thrive. Underpinning our research is the drive to solve the big challenges that society faces, whether it is understanding the human brain’s perception to aid Parkinson’s sufferers, or clean energy production through CenTACat, our research is leading the world in an environment rooted in the ideals of Athena SWAN where we actively promote Women in Science and Engineering.

The leadership provided by our academics creates opportunities for all students to satisfy their ambitions through taught and research programmes. Come and join us, and help change the world!

Professor Mark Price

Faculty Pro-Vice-Chancellor

Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences

A World Class Education and Student Experience

Our inspiring alumni comprises outstanding scholars, Nobel Prize winners - such as Seamus Heaney and David Trimble - and influential leaders who are making an impact in Northern Ireland and across the globe.

Our students enjoy being educated by world-leading academics working at the forefront of their disciplines and a significant investment in the student experience has resulted in high levels of student satisfaction.

Over 94% of Queen’s graduates are in employment or further study six months after graduation; our graduates are dominating senior leadership positions in 80 of Northern Ireland's top 100 companies and making a difference in over 120 countries.

Leaders in Innovation and Impact

We are leaders in commercial impact and are in the top five UK universities for revenue generated from research commercialisation - £71 million. Through QUBIS Ltd, our commercial arm, we have created over 70 spin-out companies, resulting in some 1,880 knowledge-based private sector jobs. Three of these companies (Kainos, Andor Technology and Fusion Antibodies) have been publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange.

We are number one in the UK for our participation in Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP). Since 1993, we have supported 100 businesses throughout Northern Ireland, helping them to generate an increase in annual profits of £65 million.

A Global and Inclusive University Community

We currently have staff and students from over 80 countries, helping to create a multicultural and vibrant campus. They are joining a university that is committed to attracting, retaining and developing the best global talent within an environment that enables them to realise their full potential.

An innovative, welcoming and inclusive place to work and study, Queen’s is a leader in gender equality and diversity. We are one of the UK’s most successful universities in the Athena SWAN initiative which promotes gender equality and career progression. We currently have two Gold, eight Silver and five Bronze departmental awards, as well as an Institutional Silver.

Investing in the Future

Our £700m investment in facilities is transforming the University campus, expanding an environment that stimulates, enables and supports world-class education and research.

This has included the development of a state-of-the-art Graduate School, which is home to a thriving postgraduate community; the award-winning McClay Library; a new Computer Science Building; a School of Law; and the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine.

The University has also invested in sporting facilities, new purpose-built student accommodation in Belfast City Centre and has announced plans for the development of a world-class Student Centre, including a new Students’ Union facility.

At the Forefront of Tackling Global Challenges

Together, we are changing lives across Northern Ireland and further afield: our discovery of a new molecule has the potential to prolong the life of people living with cystic fibrosis; we are at the forefront of a major breakthrough in the fight against bowel cancer, and we’re striving to help people with MS recover nerve function.

We are at the forefront of developing new thinking and technologies in key areas such as Health, Reconciliation, Peace and Justice, Information Technology, Food Security, and Energy.

Ranked 8th in the UK for Research Intensity

The total value of new research grants and contracts awarded to Queen's during 2016-17 was £101.6m, the first time the annual figure has topped £100 million. Queen's was also the No 1 AHRC-funded university in the UK.

We are ranked 8th in the UK for Research Intensity with over 75% of our research assessed as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2014).

Northern Ireland's Legendary Beauty

A city with innovation at its heart, technological advances infiltrate every sector helping to build our competitiveness on the global stage. There are almost 900 international companies located in Northern Ireland, making Belfast the second most successful city in the UK (after London) for attracting US trade.

There’s plenty happening outside the city, including the famous filming locations for the HBO series Game of Thrones, the awe-inspiring Giant’s Causeway, voted the UK’s best Heritage Attraction, and the Mourne Mountains, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty canonised as CS Lewis’ Narnia.

*Lonely Planet, 2017